Best Tent Camping near Cynthiana, OH

Tent sites are on a steep uneven hill, we had site 4. Tent sites are super close, we can hear our neighbors perfectly as if they were talking to us. Only a few feet between each site. Map showed we would be right next to the lake, this is incorrect, lake is not accessible or even visible from campsite.

While the tent spots did not have a lot of shade, the sites are close to the lake and make for some wonderful sunsets. All of the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful and all in all it was a great stay. We rented bikes from the camp store and swam at the beach which was conveniently close to the tent sites. Lots of fun and 10/10 would return again. I'm excited to come back and see how the young trees they have growing in the tent sites take off.

Tent camped on a non-electric site in early May.  Great campground.  Clean, relatively quiet, and great bathrooms.  The camp sites are right off one of the main trails in the park, so very easy to get out for a hike.

many electric sites,usually busy, some rustic tent sites, 3 camper cabins in park. some shower houses . state park also offers cabins that sleep 6 with amenities also hike in campground in area.

Great campsite on the Ohio River. Tent sites are grassy with lots of shade. water and electricity at site for $20.00. We upgraded to a vacant RV site with River Frontage for $35.00, since We were able to sleep In our SUV. Showers and toilets are clean. Staff is so accommodating! The exception? Trains blowing their whistle every 20-30 minutes all night long. The crossing is right by the campground. If you can sleep through it, great. I couldn’t.

This was our first tent camping experience and over all went really well! Our particular site wasn’t very tent friendly and was overall a little awkward with the placement of hills and our fire pit, but I think that was a one off. We made it work and had a great time! The sites are close together so be aware if you aren’t fond of neighbors :) we will definitely be back!

We have tent camped here three times. Small but nice campground. Nice lake close to the campground just down an access road. I would give it a higher rating but there are no showers, concrete floored, hole in the ground 'outhouses' (one men's, one woman's) by the playground and port-a-johns at the other end of the campground. The last time we were there in September 2016, the port-a-johns were absolutely full and nasty despite daily phone calls by the camp caretakers that they needed serviced. They were finally serviced just before the weekend campers came in and we were leaving. Small adequate camp store. Movie for the kids at the outdoor theater.

This campsite is HUGE. Has over 400 campsites and the first 17 have places you can keep your horses! Something I have never seen before. Some sites are not okay for tent camping and when we got there we had to go back to the office to see if we could change our site. Lucky for us you get one free site switch a stay, so that was nice. The beach is big but unfortunately no dogs allowed. It would be nice for them to include a section where dogs were allowed so we could enjoy. We spent our day on the trails instead. A lot of RV camping but overall it was a great trip!

I get asked "where should we go camping or hiking in the Midwest?" Hocking Hills State Park is always my go-to answer. 

It has a ton of different terrains, it's easily accessible from Columbus, OH, and has great hiking opportunities. 

This particular campground is amazing because it's located nicely to many hiking trails but far away that you aren't overly crowded so you still get the feeling that you're in nature.

I've been here a ton growing up in the horse campground area, but most recently was there for tent camping. We were surrounded mostly by RVs, but we fit in quite nicely into our site. 

The sites were nicely spaced out and the hiking trails were all nearby.

Great camping experience! Waited too late to book in hocking hills state park but found a site here instead. We are tent campers and stayed in site 106 on"Northridge". Loved that the non-electric tent sites were so isolated from the RV campers. Site 107 gets muddy with a lot of rain. Sites 108-112 have a pretty significant slope. Each site in the loop has a picnic table and fire ring. There's a dumpster, pit toilets, and water. It was a short drive to the rest of the campers, a great hot shower, fantastic general store, miniature golf, and the beach to swim or lake to kayak. Took us at least 30 minutes to drive to the common hocking hills hikes but well worth it. We would return.

We have returned to this camp ground four times! Everything is quite outdated especially the park and mini golf. With that said it was a great time. It has mini golf, a pool, park and small game room which is awesome for camping with kids. It offers rustic cabins for those that dont tent camp or have a rv. On this particular trip it was chilly and we were staying with small children so we went the rustic cabin route. There's a small pond for fishing and a church from the 1800s and all together a beautiful place to walk around. The best part is you can walk to ash cave from your campsite! There is a connecting trail right at the front of the campground. It was a fairly simple hike too.

This was our first camping trip here and it won’t be out last. We loved this little hidden gem of a park. We were on site 5 and it was level side to side but sloped front to back. The parking pad was nice and it looked like many had been freshly paved.
Some sites are just in the grass and could get muddy since the park is in a valley but they would be perfect for tent camping or a smaller camper.
Lots of hiking trails, a like for swimming and fishing, playground, and fire tower. They also had a mini golf course, outdoor movie screen and a camp store that has a game room and nature center. Most of this part was closed because of winter camping and Covid.
The staff that we saw working were really friendly and recommend some great hiking trails.

I've stayed here in the past and Cowan Lake does not disappoint. The B site campground is all non-electric tent camping, and far enough away from the larger RV pads that it's a quiet little campsite! Also, these sites are super close to the bathrooms on the beach, which were very clean during our stay. I was incredibly impressed, because the beach gets pretty busy during the day. The beach itself was clean (for a lakeside beach- there are geese, it's Ohio) and the lake was gorgeous! I will say, the only MILD annoyance is that some of the other campers would drive to the parking lot in front of our campsite and park there into the evening hours to fish or head down to the docks. I'm an early riser, so the headlights and car doors slamming were mildly annoying after about 10p. Not enough to make me choose a different campsite, but worth noting. We rented a tandem kayak and explored the lake, and the equipment was all in good condition. The Commisary is pretty limited but they do have a small kitchen and ice cream, as well as the basics like firewood and ice, as well as the boat rentals. Overall, one of my favorite lakeside campgrounds!

Cowan Lake State Park - A friend and I were able to kayak on the lake the night of a Friday the 13th moon. It was beautiful. Sadly, no pictures as I do not have a water proof camera. The next day we also went out for another paddle under the bright sun.  The boat ramp and parking lot is easy to use and has a good layout.  They do have some tent sites close to the boat ramp area and you can see the lake from those tent sites. 

Our campsite did not have any trees but they have planted a lot of new trees. I assume this due the previous trees having to be cut down due to Emerald Ash borer damage. Our campsite didn't have any shade but others did so you really have to pick wisely. 

The trails here are easy and short.  I loved the informational boxes and tags that they had on the trees or plants.  This is helpful if you have little ones with you or if you are like me and just like to learn about the animals/plants on the trail. 

The park also had a lending library and walking stick lending program. I thought these were simple but memorable features for this park. 

Our campsite was close to two different bathroom structures.  One right behind our site was toilets only. This did mean that sometimes folks would walk on the edge or through the camp site at times.  The other bathroom structure was further down the road and it had both toilets and showers.  The larger bathroom had an ADA shower in it as well. 

The camp store was well stocked and you could rent bikes from the store. These bikes were often all over the campground so be extra careful when driving in the park.  They do have the orange flag but as they are low to the ground it is hard to see them at times. 

The cabins here have both a fire ring and grill. This isn't the case at all Ohio State parks so it was a nice surprise.  They also have a porch that is screened in with a view of the lake. You are not able to walk down to the lake from the cabin but it is a lovely view. 

For those who want to "Walk-On" camp please take a look at the photo of the neon yellow paper as how the park approaches this will be different in the future. 

**Not all photos or videos uploading so some information may be missing. I will try to upload again later.

Tar Hollow State Park sits adjacent to the State Forest, in a similar setup to Scioto Trail and Lake Hope. It is pretty remote (no cell phone coverage at even the top of the hills), and really is a chance to 'get away' from the modern life. All sorts of camping is covered: RVing, trailer camping, and tent camping at electric sites, and primitive tent camping at several locations. Most of the camping is down in the valley, upstream from the lake. There is a camping area (and large paved lot) just below the dam (during this trip we saw a Boy Scout Troop with a school bus parked down there, so for those looking a for a group camping experience with a heavy vehicle that's an area to consider). This lower dam lot sits on the access trail to the main Logan Trail loop (for those wanting some serious distance hiking).

When we go, we tent camp with no electricity, so this review will focus on that style. The primitive camping is at the North Ridge campsite at the top of the hill to the north of the lake. There is a single gravel parking lot here, and you are carrying your gear in at most 100 yards, up hill, to the farthest spot. It is the crest of the hill, so the different spots have different amounts of slope. Pay attention to the descriptions in the reservation website if you're not prepared for this. The whole site is one large cleared oval, with a large grassy area (well mown) at the crest. There is room for the kids (or dog) to run around in circles, but you'll want to watch the thrown ball. It is really, really quiet. We could not hear anyone at the park down below. If you're lucky and have no clouds, there is virtually no light pollution and you can see the Milky Way. You are not within walking distance of the main park or trails, so plan on driving down to the main park or to the trail head you intend to use. There is water (drinking fountain and spigot) and his/hers pit toilets with antibacterial soap (you know the brand name).

Activities: it is a state park, so there are some things aimed at kids and there were lots of kids this past week running around looking busy and happy (even the teenagers). The lake has a sand beach and designated swim area. It is blocked off from the rest of the lake by a wooden dock from which you are able to shallow dive (it's only seven or eight feet deep). Swim at your own risk. There are peddle boats to rent (two drivers, two passengers). We rented canoes, but there is also a rowboat and several kayaks. The main lake is large enough that an hour's rental is just fine for your canoe time. Separately there is a boat launch, and a fishing dock. There is a small two-room nature center, and there is a naturalist who conducts several activities. In past years we've been able to spend an hour or so at the nature rooms, and then let the kids go off with the naturalist on an hour+ guided hike down the creek to explore for wildlife and plants. Call the camp store to get information on that. The camp store is friendly and welcoming, with a small selection of mementos (magnets, hiking sticks), a few nature-themed toys, last-minute forgets (duct tape, popcorn, table cloth and the like) and ice cream. The front porch has a swing and rocking chairs, and will definitely block a heavy thunderstorm for you. There is miniature golf, but don't expect a major chain's high quality production--this is a state park. There is a foosball table and air hockey as well in a separate game room. The park is well looked after, and the staff are friendly and helpful--everyone knows why they are there.

For committed outdoors people, it is a good base from which to explore Hocking Hills (25 minutes away) and the Tar Hollow State Forest trails. You're near the Buckeye Trail (accessed from the trail below the dam, 1.5 miles up to the Fire Tower), and the Logan Trail loop in the state forest. For the family looking to get away for a day or two, there is much to do so long as you aren't expecting a resort. And to get the kids off the electronics...oh, sorry, there's no cell phone access at all. Just listen for the hawks, the tree frogs, and the rest of nature.

This place is off the beaten path, meaning that you probably will lose cell service getting to it, so make sure you have general directions. We have Verizon and had no cell service while there (which was pretty nice actually). We stayed in a primitive (no electric no water) tent site just down the hill from the campground set a little bit off into the woods. It was certainly private, with only one set of tent campers about 100 yards away. Bring your bug spray for sure! (We stayed in June.) Game barn for kids, there's also a pool that we didn't make it to. There are RVs off in the distance as well as cabins. Cabins didn't look well kept. Beware: there are TONS of raccoons, as in dozens and dozens that like to roam around at night. They were fine, just curious and woke us up with their communication a few times at night. They will come right up to the tent and sniff and touch the tent, so don't be concerned. They're just very active at night. My guess is people have fed them and/or garbage is not always secured. Showers and bathrooms were subpar. I still used both but some showers weren't in working order. We would like to come back to this area and explore Hocking Hills more, but would probably try out a different campground.

We went camping in June during the strawberry Moon. We are tent campers, we booked site 185. But once we got there we discovered that the site was slopped down from the pad and not a great place to tent camp. So, we had to find another site. They were booked so we had to cut our vacation short because the only site open for us was reserved for the following weekend. Bummer! There are not alot of spaces for us tent campers no matter where we go. We have to at the least have electric hook ups cause my better half has a CPap he has to sleep wearing. They did have a few premative sites for tent campers. Camp is very well maintained and they are having some construction done on many sites to make them bigger, full hook ups and even Handicap accessable. Great place to ride a bike, or hike or just go for a walk. The shower houses and restrooms were recently redone and in great shape! Though the shower heads could use a changing. Weekends were a bit crowded, but by sunday night the place was cleared out and the rest of the week was quiet and relaxed. Over all a great week. Friendly and helpful staff too. the only issue I had was the state of the Beach, trashed(People there didn't seem to care about throwing their trash around. Shame on them! Also,the sand was so compacted it felt like concrete. Not the best beach. Fishing, well. It seems we didn't have the low down on good fishing spots. All of the public fishing spots were of course taken and along the dam so not great. Lodge is beautiful, and they are doing some construction there. I did not like the food. Guess I am too picky, but when my salad comes out warm and my chicken is cold I do have an issue with that. Didn't seem like they were taking food safety too seriously.

General: Huge state park with over 400 sites. All are pet-friendly and electric. About 20 are FHU. While tent camping is permitted, certain sites are not recommended for it as there would be no place to pitch a tent. One loop is for equestrian camping but when we were there, I only saw one horse trailer, and the rest were occupied by RV campers. 

Site Quality: All camper pads are paved and most appeared level or just very slightly sloped. A picnic table and fire ring complete the site. Some sites have more trees to provide privacy while others are closer together with little separation.

Bath/Shower House: Not all loops have their own bath house and the I loop where we stayed was one of them. We used the one in the H Loop. The bathhouses were clean, and the shower had nice hot water, however, it doesn’t seem like there were sufficient facilities for how large the campground was (H Loop had two showers, two toilets, and three sinks). Hooks or shelves would have been appreciated.

Activities/Amenities: Many activities can be enjoyed here including mini golf (small nine-hole course), soccer, basketball, tennis, volleyball, corn hole, boating, and bicycling. Playgrounds are in several loops (I saw them in C and G). Rentals are available but most are only in season (ended September 30). There is a nature center and several hiking or paved biking/walking trails. There is also a camper beach for boating and swimming.

When we reserved months earlier, we knew that our first night (a Saturday) was 100% full as we got the very last site. What we did not know is that there was a HUGE Halloween celebration complete with 30-40 decorated golf carts parading through the campground. The road was closed until 6:45 pm (we arrived around 7 pm) and cars lined both sides of the approximately two-mile road! If that's your thing, great but it wasn't necessarily ours!

I appreciate that this park encourages so much outdoor activity, but it is not very pedestrian-friendly. I walked the road from one end to the other and there was no shoulder and, in many spots, no place to safely step off into the grass. I’m guessing it is assumed you will either have a car or golf cart to get around. 

One final note: for a park so close to a large city (Cincinnati), I was surprised the cell service was so lacking (on Verizon). We eked out one and occasionally two bars of 4G.

Autumn is the best time to camp in Ohio. Lots of small bathrooms. Lake access. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was due to the fact there was no quick reentry. Had to wait for rvs in front of me to register.